


Lies Within A Book

by Remsyk



Series: Penny Dreadfuls [5]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Continuation, Creepy, Duo's Box of Horrors, Gen, Hints of the Supernatural, My Penny Dreadfuls, This turned into a College AU, Unnatural November, daily drabbles, just a pinch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 04:45:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12646374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remsyk/pseuds/Remsyk
Summary: Weeks after the weekend from hell, Duo gets the gang together to relax and catch up, but Duo finds it won't be the only thing that catches up to him.Sequel to "A Study of Secrets"





	Lies Within A Book

The next time Duo had a chance to hang out with Wufei was several weeks later. They had arranged to meet on campus in the wooded section of the quad, out of the way and secluded. What Duo hadn’t told him, was that he had managed to wrangle their other friends into the meetup.

Duo reclined in the grass, half listening to the friendly debate between Quatre and Trowa when Wufei walked up, his arrival punctuated by a snort.

“What did he bribe you with?” He asked, taking a seat next to Heero, who looked up from his laptop long enough to nod.

“His lunch card for a week,” Heero answered, eyes returning to the screen.

Wufei snorted again as Duo grinned, tipping his head back to look at him upside down. They both knew it was a lost cause; Heero rarely remembered to take a break from studying, relying on protein bars and energy drinks. Duo offering his card was more a reminder to eat than a sacrifice.

“Maybe we’re just concerned about your state of mind after all this,” Quatre chimed in, moving closer to the huddle.

“I’m just here for an update for the betting pool,” Trowa sat down between Heero and Duo’s sprawled form. “They’re disappointed you haven’t killed anyone yet.”

Wufei scoffed, rubbing his temples. “Trust me, it could happen any day now.”

Duo rose from his splayed position and twisted in his seat, completing the circle. “How ya holding up?”

Wufei groaned dramatically, dropping his head in his hands. “I take back what I said about them. They’re not vultures, they’re piranhas. They question every single decision I make, from how the books are cataloged to how the silverware is packed.” He looked up, scrubbing his face with his hands. “They’re even worse now because their lawyers haven’t been able to find anything wrong with the will.”

Quatre patted his shoulder. “You’re more than welcome to borrow one of my lawyers. You need someone to act as a buffer against their relentless badgering. They’re trying to wear you down.”

“I may take you up on that,” Wufei groaned, then turned to his bag, rustling around inside. “The one thing they keep hounding me about is that stupid desk.”

Duo froze, his eyes going wide as a chill slithered down his spine. “The desk?” he asked, surprised his voice didn’t shake.

Trowa tossed him a curious look as Wufei answered. “They keep saying we’re missing something from the desk and that the middle drawer won’t open.” Wufei sighed in disgust, then began pulling books and binders from his bag.

“Duo broke it,” Heero announced, his gaze glued to the monitor.

“I didn’t freaken-” Duo stopped himself, glaring at Heero’s satisfied smirk.

“They’re either stupid or lazy, because it opened just fine for me,” Wufei smirked - “Ah, there you are,” - and pulled an old, worn book from his pack.

One Duo knew all too well.

“This was inside,” he continued, looking at Duo. “I thought you emptied it.”

Duo swallowed. “I did. That book wasn’t there before.”

“Are you okay?” Trowa spoke up, eyeing Duo closely. “You’re paler than usual.”

“I’m fine, just fine,” Duo coughed, turning away to fiddle with the straps of his messenger bag.

“Anyway, I think they’ve been trying to find this,” Wufei opened the book, flipping through the worn pages. “It’s my grandfather’s journal.”

Quatre leaned forward, his eyes wide as he read over the edge of the book. “That’s fascinating! Do you think they’re worried it has dirt on them? Have you read it?”

“It’s creepy,” Trowa supplied, crossing his arms. “It’s like reading a dead man’s mind.”

“It’s part of your estate and they have no right to it,” Heero said, looking up from his studies to eye the book.

“I haven’t read any of it yet; most of it is in Mandarin, an older dialect I’m not familiar with. It will take some time to translate.”

“I can scan it into my program,” Heero studied it with infinie more interest, eager to test his latest software, a program he developed himself. “This is the kind of testing conditions I’ve been looking for to weed out the final bugs.” 

Wufei shrugged as he closed the book. “That’s alright with me, but we’ll have to find a way to protect anything we find in there from their grimy paws, and you can’t damage the book.”

“Again, my lawyer, please,” Quatre said with mock condemnation.

“Fine, I give. Hand him over,” Wufei reached around Quatre, shoving his hand in his open bag. “Do you keep him in here?”

The others chuckled as Quatre laughed, shoving Wufei back. “Shut up, he has a much nicer bag than that.”

“What if you just leave it alone?”

Everyone stopped and looked at Duo, his wide eyes fixed on the book in Wufei’s lap.

“What do you mean, leave it alone? This is my grandfather’s thoughts, his final words,” Wufei frowned. “How could I not read them?”

Duo inhaled a shaky breath, the echoes of that day creeping in his mind, the way the shadows grew, the suffocating weight of its presence, and the overwhelming fear of being trapped in a corner, like prey cowering before a predator coming in for the kill-

“Duo! Duo, breathe!”

He blinked, gasping for breath, his chest tight as hands gripped his shoulders, another set rubbing his back. A face came into focus, dark worried eyes close to his own.

“Are you alright?”

Duo nodded, closing his eyes as he breathed, his heart racing in his chest, so much like that day, pulse roaring in his ears-

He jumped up, knocking their hands away, pacing furiously in the small space.

It was bright, he was outside, there was nothing to keep him here. 

He was okay. At least, that’s what he told himself.

“Duo, what’s wrong?” Quatre stood above the others, concern creasing his brow. Wufei watched from a half crouch while Heero and Trowa remained seated, concern echoed in their faces.

“I just- I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Duo ran his fingers through his hair, messing up his braid. “I have a bad feeling, that’s all.”

“A panic attack is not a ‘bad feeling’,” Trowa said flatly. “Did something happen?”

Wufei started, gaping at Trowa, then he turned his attention on Duo. “Did they do something, say something to you?” He rose to his feet as he reached for Duo. “Did they hurt you? Threaten you?”

“What? No,” Duo paused, shaking his head furiously, wrapping his arms around himself. “This has nothing to do with them.”

“You know something about the book,” Heero stated, frowning at the journal, lying innocently on the ground. He closed his laptop, setting it aside as he reached for the book.

Duo remained rooted in place, breath shallow as he watched, waiting for… something; he wasn’t quite sure.

“You know something?” Wufei looked between the two “And you didn’t tell me?”

“Look, all I did was read the last page,” Duo said defensively, drawing back as Heero opened the journal and flipped to the page in question. He read over the passage, eyes widening slightly, his only reaction to what was written.

“What does it say?” Quatre asked, his curiosity piqued.

Just as Heero opened his mouth to answer, Duo threw his hand out. “NO!”

Heero looked up in surprise, but remained silent.

“What is going on?” Wufei huffed, squaring off to face Duo. “You said earlier the book wasn’t in the drawer, but you’ve read part of it already?” He crossed his arms with a glare. “What’s the story?”

Duo hesitated, eyes darting from face to face, expressions ranging from curiousity to anger. “You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try us,” Trowa challenged, arching an eyebrow.

He shuffled in place, rubbing his arms unconsciously. 

“Duo,” Quatre coaxed, stepping close to wrap an arm around his shoulders, feeling the knots of tension across his back. “Whatever it was, it clearly affected you. Tell us what happened. We can’t help you until we know.”

Duo nodded, then recalled what happened in the study, right down to the absolute terror he felt as he tried to escape the room. By the end, he was shaking minutely, and Quatre drew him close against him.

Wufei stood silent, stunned by his words. “You went back. You sat the entire evening with me in that room.” But as he replayed the evening, he remembered Duo never sat with his back to the desk, always angling himself so it remained in his view.

“I couldn’t let you go in there alone,” Duo answered quietly.

“Are you scared of the book or the desk?” Trowa asked. Duo studied his expression, finding no judgement in his question.

“I don’t know, both? It felt like the desk was the source of that feeling,” Duo shuddered. “But where he found the book was  _ not  _ where I left it.”

“And no one else has a key to that room,” Wufei finished, eyes trained on the ground as he wracked his mind for an explanation. “After we finished, I locked the study. I was there any time one of the shareholders wanted access to that room.”

The group fell silent, each mulling over the possibilities, weighing Duo’s story against what they knew. It was difficult to accept the supernatural story he told, of secret compartments and ominous, terror inducing desks, but none of them could dispute that whatever Duo had experienced, it had left him shaken to his core.

“I’m going to translate the rest,” Heero announced, his jaw set in what the others called ‘Mission Mode’. “His final entry implies there’s something illicit that happened behind closed doors, something he regretted immensely.”

Duo bit his lip, then nodded. “Just, be careful? Even if it was my imagination going nuts, if your hunch is correct, there’s still something dangerous about this.”

“Especially if it’s something illicit or illegal,” Wufei said. “The last thing I need is fuel for their fire.”

“Keep us posted,” Trowa said. “Let us know if there’s something we can do to help.”

Quatre gave Duo one last squeeze, then moved to collect his bag. “Agreed. Please be careful.” He turned to Wufei. “I have some time before my next class, let me arrange a meeting with my lawyer for you.”

The others quickly gathered their things and dispersed. Trowa paused long enough to clasp Duo’s shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze, then left, leaving Duo in the clearing alone.

It was going to be okay, he assured himself. His little box of horrors had a few more tendrils leaking out, but he also had more people to help him hold the lid down.

After all, It was only supposed to be the ramblings of an old man, right?

**Author's Note:**

> So much for my stand alone one shots. We'll see where this one takes me. I wasn't expecting them to be in college, but hey, what can you do?


End file.
